Pakistan have included three more batsmen to their 12-man squad for Test series against South Africa. Openers Ahmed Shahzad and Shan Masood, and Asad Shafiq have been selected to fill the three vacant positions.

[caption id="attachment_2341" align="alignright" width="300"] The trio was selected after the match between Pakistan A and South Africa (Photo: PCB)[/caption]

Youngsters Shehzad and Masood have never played a Test for the national team, and at least one of them will get the chance to play against the Proteas in the first Test.

The 12-man squad was announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board before leaving for the UAE, leaving three places to be fulfilled later based on players’ performances in the side match.

Shehzad, Masood and Azhar Ali scored half-centuries each in the only innings of Pakistan A in the side match played in Sharjah. Shafiq made 42 in the match.

Pakistan A scored 311 runs in the first innings in response to South Africa’s 354.

Shehzad has represented Pakistan in 27 one-day and 15 T20 international matches, whereas Masood has never played an international match for the national team. However, both players have never played a Test for Pakistan.

The first match of the Test series between Pakistan and South Africa will start from Oct 14 in Abu Dhabi. The 15-man squad for the series includes: